Upon getting the Nikkor 28 F2.8. I decided not to keep this Nikkor Micro 55 F3.5, as the Nikkor 28 actually focuses in closer, and I already have the Voigtlander APO Lanthar 125 for serious macro stuff, but this is a very sharp lens.
Nikon doesn't call this macro, but micro, I guess because it only goes 1:2. I think that in the 1:2 range for 50-something that the Pentax A-50 F2.8 macro is probably the best buy. (it has been over 15 years since I used one, but from memory, the color and contrast and detail from the Pentax A series was wonderful)
More info on this lens can be found here (this lens is referred to as the auto compensating aperture model)
Special Lenses For Nikon 'F' Mount
But these Nikkor 55 jobbies can be had for about $100 or so. The F3.5 AI version came before the AIS F2.8 version, and what Nikon did, was, to fit the marketplace better, was that they modified the optical design so that the newer F2.8 AIS version performs better at distances with some sacrifice at the closer distances, as most people were purchasing this lens as a normal 50-ish lens and didn't care about close in as much. (?? that didn't make any sense to me, either, why buy a micro if you want to use it at distance?)
here's one (and then a 100% crop) from my test violets, remember folks that my mini indoor garden is NOT sponsored by Pentax, these are my own African Lens Test Violets, I pay for them myself, and my wife waters them... the focus is on the little fuzzies on the left side of the petal. This is F4, on a tripod, and I used live view to focus.
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